25.05.12
Patients’ friends and family test for hospital care
Patients are to rate hospitals on whether they would be happy for their friends and family to be treated there, as the Prime Minister endorses one of the Nursing Quality Care Forum’s recommendations.
David Cameron announced that the test will be implemented from next April. Staff are already asked to make the same rating on the hospital in which they work.
Cameron said: “To really make sure that patients get the right care, we're moving ahead quickly on one of [the forum's] main recommendations: the friends and family test.
“In every hospital, patients are going to be able to answer a simple question, whether they'd want a friend or relative to be treated there in their hour of need. By making those answers public we're going to give everyone a really clear idea of where to get the best care – and drive other hospitals to raise their game.”
This is the first recommendation the Government has accepted since the Forum was set up in January by ministers. Other recommendations, published today, include a review of staffing levels and recruitment of nurses to be include their caring nature and compassion.
Sally Brearley, chair of the forum, said: “The friends and family test is a useful way for staff to look at their place of work, and for patients to look at the quality of care they receive, and for them to judge whether they would be content for a loved one to use that service, should they need treatment.”
RoyalCollegeofNursinggeneral secretary, Peter Carter, said: “We endorse the friends and family test of NHS services, which is an important measure of how people perceive the care they are provided by their organisation. We look forward to contributing to this work as it develops and there must be a focus on acting on these results to ensure that continuous improvements are made.”
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